Little Rock hit by catastrophic tornado

A large, damaging tornado swept through central Arkansas Friday afternoon impacting parts of Little Rock. Reports on social media show widespread damage in parts of Little Rock and in areas surrounding the metro area.

Local media reports two deaths and over 600 injuries as of 3:40 p.m. local time (THV11.com). There are also nearly 75,000 power outages in and around Little Rock due to the tornado.

Current Arkansas power outages Friday afternoon

At the time of the tornado, the Little Rock National Weather Service issued a Tornado Emergency for parts of the Little Rock metro stating a "damaging tornado" was a threat with the storm. Over 350,000 people were included in the Tornado Emergency.

Tornado Emergency Friday afternoon for Little Rock metro

The issuance of a Tornado Emergency is rare. The National Weather Service reserves a Tornado Emergency for when I) there's an ongoing or imminent severe threat to human life, II) catastrophic damage is imminent or ongoing, and/or III) reliable sources confirm a damaging tornado.

Updates to come.